August 11, 2010

Fibromyalgia is a condition that is not fully understood by doctors today. Because of this, some Administrative Law Judges do not think fibromyalgia holds much weight as a debilitating condition. There is a far better chance that you may receive Social Security Disability benefits if your fibromyalgia is paired with another condition such as arthritis or another muscle or skeletal condition.

Some symptoms of fibromyalgia include widespread pain, muscle spasms, fatigue, and/or sleep disturbances. The cause for fibromyalgia is not known for sure, but there are some hypotheses including genetics, stress, and a dopamine dysfunction. Because of the lack of knowledge as to what causes fibromyalgia, the Social Security Administration may overlook a case dealing strictly with fibromyalgia.

One of the ways to receive Social Security Disability benefits for fibromyalgia, may be that the claimant must show that his/her condition is severe enough to limit their ability to perform simple work operations at most jobs. Some examples of restrictions may be walking, standing, carrying, speaking, and/or completing simple instructions from memory.

Scott D. Lewis, Attorney at Law, has worked with claimants suffering from fibromyalgia. In his experience with Social Security Disability law, it may be necessary to show that an Indiana claimant suffers from severe widespread pain for at least three months in 11 of the 18 tender points as established by the College of Rheumatology and the Centers for Disease Control along with other factors. Some Administrative Law Judges may also find an Indiana disability claimant disabled if they can show that fibromyalgia restricts their activities of daily living in such a way that it is obvious that their impairment is severe.